Sevenfold Plus One

The Recovery 

So in 2011 my wife sold her 
Mazda 626 for 80 thousand 
Naira, she took a loan from 
her office and I also took a 
loan! 
We joined all the funds together
and bought a saloon car. 
We just had a baby and we 
needed the car to be able to 
move around conveniently 
Two months later the car 
was stolen in the middle of 
the night. 
I searched everywhere, 
I went to Television houses 
and police stations, we made 
announcements and so on 
I spent a lot of money and 
yet the car was gone! 
Ironically, we were still paying loans. 
I got angry! 
I cried! 
I cursed! 
I lamented!
 I got bitter with God. 
I suspected everybody! 
It wasn't as if I didn't hear 
from God the day the car 
stolen 
I got home from the office 
around 5 pm 
A friend came visiting 
The friend came with his 
own car 
When he was leaving i 
followed him to see the car 
It was a white Saloon car 
I blessed the car at my 
friend's insistence 
My friend left after a few 
minutes 
Just as i was going back into 
my apartment, the Holy Spirit 
said "Go and park your car 
in the church compound!" 
The church compound was 
about five minutes walk from 
my house 
I was a minister and had both
the access and the liberty
to park there 
But I would have to walk over
there the next morning to
bring home the car
I procrastinated
I looked around, seeking some
physical evidence of near
and present danger
I saw nothing
in fact, the street was very quiet
and serene that evening
I told myself i was being paranoid
I convinced myself the car 
would besafe 
I was sure it was just my mind
playing a trick on me 
I heard the voice again
I silenced it 
I went upstairs 
I heard the voice again 
I told myself I will drive it to church
later 
When it was seven p.m 
I got into the car and drove 
it to a petrol station 
I filled the tank (It was empty
before then) and somehow 
I drove it back home 
I had forgotten that I was supposed
to park it in church 
I never did and I never saw 
the car again with my eyes 
The experience was terrible 
A few days after the car was 
stolen 
I got to church and met the 
prayer team was praying! 
They were commanding that 
the stolen car be brought 
back by the power of the 
Holy Spirit! 
I joined them half-heartedly
I was wondering why God
permitted me to become a
prayer point in church
Shockingly, my next-door
neighbours’ car was stolen 
exactly a week after my car 
was stolen! 
He went to a witch doctor 
and the car did some things 
for him 
His car was found abandoned 
somewhere two days later. 
He came to me and asked me 
if I would like to do what he 
did, that was when my eyes 
open! 
I had been behaving like a 
loser and now the devil 
was offering me options 
and people were feeling 
sorry for me! as i was getting
taunted to do something fetish
I told him no! 
I went to church and told the 
prayer team to stop praying
I don’t want the car again, 
I am getting another car! 
I forgave the thieves and 
blessed them! 
The Bible says if anybody robs 
me he shall pay me back in 
seven fold! ' 
So I took the word as fact! 
I threw away feelings and emotions. 
Who does that help? 
I started confessing the word! 
I declared my sevenfold 
recovery just like David did 
when the Amalekites robbed 
him and his men 
A few days later, 
My father-in-law invited me 
to his house and gave me his 
old BMW 5 series. 
It was an old car but it was 
still moving 
I used that for three months! 
I was grateful but it was not 
my sevenfold blessing 
Then as i was praying one 
morning 
I said "I know I have a new 
car. 
The word of God is yea and 
Amen! 
That car must manifest within 
a month 
I promised myself that until 
I get the car, I will not take 
a bike or public transport 
anywhere apart from my office 
I will be walking everywhere 
else 
If "anywhere else" was too 
far to walk to, I wouldn’t go 
there! 
I implemented it that same day. 
If anybody says “Come to so 
and so” I will say “I cannot 
come because I am not mobile 
and I am not walking or 
taking public transport” 
Somehow money started 
coming to me and my wife. 
Despite the loan, we suddenly 
had a lump sum. 
Two weeks later, my brother 
called me. 
He said he couldn’t sleep. 
It was impressed upon his heart 
to find a new car for me at a 
price i can afford 
He found a bigger and better saloon
car for me to buy! 
The following day, the new 
car was brought to my house. 
The dealers said I should pay a
deposit and pay the balance
whenever I had it. 
As soon as I sat in the car, 
I knew the rest was history 
Money flowed in from 
everywhere 
I paid the balance a month 
later. 
I have never lost a pin to 
thieves 
or armed robbers since then
because i never took the voice
of the Holy Spirit for granted
again
Perhaps that was the best thing
that came out of that drama!
I know His voice and i follow
that voice confidently from
glory to glory 

2) Make a Tree Good 

A few months ago, 
I was in my office listening 
to the sermon of a man of 
God! 
The man of God has been a
blessing to me since my 
University days but I have 
never been to his church or 
any of his services before. 
All i do was listen to him online
whenever i can! My boss, 
a pastor, walked into the 
office and snapped at me! 
"Stop playing the sermon of 
that man anywhere around 
me! 
Are there no pastors in our denomination
you can listen to? 
My spirit does not agree with that pastor! 
Every time I see him, all I see is
flamboyance and showmanship, that is not
what young ministers should be seeing. 
You will get easily deceived 
and carried away by his 
sweet tongue. 
Wow! 
I disagree with him on every 
level but he was my boss and 
I had to respect him so I 
stopped watching the sermon.
When my boss got to his seat, 
he played a song on his laptop! 
It was Sinach's Waymaker, 
I kept quiet! 
As he continued his work, 
Sinach's music continued to 
play softly in the background! 
Later Eben's song took over followed
by Frank Edward and Joe Praise! 
At about 2 pm, I took my Bible 
and opened to Matthew 12:33. 
I walked into his office and 
asked him to please explain 
the Bible verse to me. 
It says “Make a tree good and 
its fruit will be good, or make a 
tree bad and its fruit will be 
bad, for a tree is recognized 
by its fruit." 
He loved the fact that I came 
to him with the question and 
he explained it very succinctly.
Then I said "You love Sinach, 
is it because she is anointed 
or because she has a good 
voice?" 
He said "Oh! That lady's song 
stirs me, when I listen to her 
I burst into tongues and find
myself praying" 
I nodded and smiled 
I was trying very hard to be diplomatic 
So I said "Sinach, Joe Praise, 
Eben, Frank Edwards and 
many others are fruits of one 
tree sir. 
If the fruits are good, the tree 
must also be good" 
He said "We are all fruits of 
the tree of life, they are 
ministers of the gospel like 
us" 
I said "They are fruits of the 
Pastor you said you don't like! 
The one I was listening to 
earlier! 
He laughed 
He said "I knew Eben o, I know 
he attends XYZ church!" 
I laughed and said "Google 
it" sir 
He did! 
His face changed! 
Wow! 
I smiled and left his office 
The next day, I noticed he 
started listening to other 
gospel artists. 
"Omije Oju mi n bere Aanu re 
Baba" and so on 
I ignored him. 
Some believers would rather
hold on to their negative views
rather than embrace positive realities
He would rather be right than adjust
his wrong mindset I continued listening
to the man of God and following his
instructions for my development 
I continued to grow to the 
point where I had to resign 
and start-off on my own
He remained in the office 
Last week he called me out 
of the blue 
He said "Gbenga, I have been
instructed to be a part of 
your ministry by the Holy 
Spirit" 
I said "Yes sir" 
He said "I will like to come 
and see you after the lockdown, 
I have a lot to learn" 
I said "Yes sir" 
He is a good man and a 
very wonderful boss 
I love him with all my heart 
I will also work with him 
with joy and gladness as the 
Holy Spirit directs
 It is just a little bit ironic that 
the Holy Spirit will direct him 
to me! 
I am also a fruit of that tree 
which he disliked with a 
passion. 
As I study my Bible and walk 
with the Holy Spirit, 
I continue to listen to that man 
of God! 
He has been a blessing 
to me and always will be"